This invention relates in general to fasteners for vehicle interior trim panels, and in particular, to a fastener which is operable to allow movement of a trim panel during an air bag deployment.
Many passenger vehicles include inflatable restraints in the form of air bags for vehicle occupants. Air bag assemblies typically include an inflater and reaction canister located behind an interior trim component, such as a headliner, trim panel, steering wheel cover, etc. For the air bag to deploy, the trim component must either move out of the way of the air bag or rupture to allow the air bag to pass through. In the case of the movable trim panel, the trim panel is typically attached with a fastening arrangement that allows the trim panel to move yet still be restrained so that the trim panel does not become a hazard for the occupants when the air bag is deployed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,431,585 discloses a dual stage fastener for securing a vehicle interior trim component to a vehicle body component, the fastener including a pin tethered to a grommet, the disclosures of which are herein incorporated by reference.